An 8-year-old Northern Minnesota boy was one of the first boys in the country to receive a specific type of gene therapy treatment.
Colton Belluzzo was diagnosed with form of muscle dystrophy as an infant.
Over time, the disease weakened his muscles.
But he and his family now have good reasons to remain optimistic.
“He's an outgoing little boy. He loves playing outside,” said Colton's mom Morgan Belluzzo.
Colton Belluzzo also loves fishing, horse riding, and even provides his own weather reports on his camera.
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But when he was 7 months old, Colton Belluzzo was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscle Dystrophy – A rare disease affecting 5,000 children, mainly boys. It weakens muscles over time and most people with DMD cannot survive in their 30s.
“When it first started, you didn't know. You didn't even see it as a possibility,” said Colton's father Dan Belluzzo.
Last year, Colton Belluzzo reached the point where he had a hard time standing up. At that time, his family learned that Dr. Peter Karachunski of M Health Fairview Masonic Children's Hospital had a breakthrough treatment he wanted to try.
“Yes, we're optimistic. This is the first treatment in his class,” Karachoski said.
Last December, doctors essentially put copies of the dystrophin gene into the virus and injected the virus into Colton Belluzzo's body.
“This spreads and goes into muscle cells,” Karachunski said.
The virus is not harmful, but the genes it is known to carry put the brakes on the progression of DMD.
Hopefully, this therapy slows down Colton Belluzzo's illness and spends time for him to receive other therapies in the future.
“We're scared. It's scary,” Morgan Belluzzo said. “Essentially, they're injecting your child with the virus.”
But Colton Belluzzo's parents Morgan and Dan knew they had no other choice.
So far, the results are eye-opening. After three months, they watched their son grow stronger. He was able to go up and down the stairs by himself. And if Colton Belluzzo's way, he'll play baseball right away.
“It's just that he has a higher energy level. He can do things. He performs more.”
“It's amazing, it's amazing that we can achieve this for our kids,” Morgan Belluzzo said.
Karachunski said there are more muscle dystrophy treatments in clinical trials, which he believes could help Colton Belluzzo in the future.
Editor's Note: The title of an earlier version of this article is a false title that describes Colton Belluzzo as the first American to accept the treatment outlined in this article. This has been corrected to reflect that he was one of the first to receive it.
John Lauritsen
